Tomatoes

30 Dec 2024

A Bountiful Garden: Tomatoes, Watermelons, and the Joy of Growing

There’s something deeply satisfying about watching a garden thrive, and this season, it’s all about tomatoes and watermelons! Our backyard is bursting with life, and every visit to the veggie patch feels like a small celebration of growth and resilience.

Tomatoes Galore

The tomatoes are growing beautifully—vigorous, green, and full of promise! Clusters of little tomatoes are already forming, and the plants are adorned with plenty of yellow flowers, each one a sign of more delicious fruit to come. Among the varieties, my dad’s special pointed tomatoes are a standout. He fondly refers to them as “friendship Borghese.” This unique variety is shaping up well, with lots of tiny tomatoes already developing. Watching their progress has become a joyful daily ritual for both of us.

A Special Connection Through Pointed Tomatoes

My dad has a special bond with these pointed tomatoes, lovingly tending to them and tracking their progress. There’s a charm to these tomatoes—not only because of their shape but also due to the sense of tradition they carry. It’s like they’ve become a symbol of connection, care, and continuity in our family garden. We often joke about their determined, pointy shape, but they’ve earned a special place in our hearts.

Watermelons: A New Experiment

While the tomatoes steal the spotlight for now, our watermelons are slowly making their debut. I’ve planted two in pots and two directly in the veggie patch, eager to see how each group fares. Watermelons can be a bit of an experiment, needing just the right combination of sunshine, water, and patience. But their growth feels exciting and full of potential—like watching a story unfold and waiting for that first sweet reward.

The Joy of Growing

There’s magic in planting something and watching it grow. The garden teaches patience, resilience, and the importance of nurturing. Each bloom and each little fruit is a small reminder of nature’s ability to thrive with care and attention. Whether it’s the pointed tomatoes or the sprawling watermelon vines, this process is filled with hope and discovery.

As the days get warmer, I’m excited to see how things develop. Will the watermelon vines take over the veggie patch? Will we be snacking on “friendship Borghese” tomatoes fresh off the vine in a few weeks? No matter the outcome, the journey of growing these plants is already a gift in itself.

Leen van der Mark Tulip and Dutch Iris Bloom

23 Aug 2024

As the weather warms up, it brings the promise of new life and color to the garden. Over the past few days, the bulbs I planted have started to emerge, and some have even burst into bloom.

The Leen van der Mark tulip, with its fiery red and yellow petals, has opened, revealing a stunning display that almost feels like a striking piece of natural artwork. Its bold colors catch the eye immediately, standing out like a masterpiece painted by nature herself.

At the same time, I noticed that my kangaroo paw plant has just sprung up, adding another layer of excitement to this garden transformation. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching these plants wake up after the cooler months, and it’s always a surprise to see what comes up next.

Spring is definitely on its way, and the garden is responding beautifully to the warmer temperatures. I can’t wait to see what else will bloom in the coming weeks!

Leen vd Mark
Kangaroo Paw

Talk and sing to your plants

4 Nov 2023

Cucumber and coffee grinds.

Today wandered over to our local nursery and purchased some basil seeds, marigolds, as well as oregano and continental cucumber seedlings. It’s a beautiful sunny day, and I will be pottering around with my pots and tomatoes…

A couple of hours later …

I planted the basil seeds in the leftover tomato containers, mixed in some mulch, coffee grounds, and placed them in the miniature greenhouses. These greenhouses were a surprise present from my wife – she knows me well. I’m growing all sorts of things in these greenhouses and even had some leftover wood cuttings, which I fashioned into a greenhouse holder – very easy to pick up when they need extra sun or need to be moved. I planted the marigolds and the oregano in the pots, no bending whatsoever; my back is very grateful.

The tomato plants have doubled in size, and I trimmed some of the lower leaves and pinched out some of the smaller growth to give the plants more energy. As my dad or “nonno” says: “always pinch the small growth and give your plants a talking to, sing to them; they can hear and feel you.”

I laughed when he told me this, and then he grew a tomato that weighed 951 grams and 9 others that were over 550 grams each!!! So, if Nonno says talk and sing to the tomatoes and your plants, then just do it!

My dad’s giant tomato
Basil seedlings
More basil seedlings and my 2 carnations
My 2 mini green houses
🙂
More of my dad’s giant tomatoes

Welcome!

This is my very 1st post so here goes ….

Welcome to my new website where I would love to help people on their journey to create their own little (or not so little) vegetable garden. I hope you enjoy this with me and come back for more every few days.

On the 18th of October, I transplanted my tomato plants from the mini greenhouse and planted them straight into the soil next to the fence to protect them from the wind. After one week, they looked very sad and scrawny. I gave them a bit of encouragement, water, and Seasol. They looked even sadder a few days later. I decided to purchase some garden pots with legs to save my back and stop bending over. I transplanted these tomato plants, and now they have exploded.

They are very healthy and a vibrant green. I placed some bamboo stakes at 50 cm intervals and crisscrossed other stakes, tying them at the connections and placing some diagonally for added support for the growing tomato plants to grab onto.

I also decided to add some slow-release fertiliser and some dried-out coffee bean powder. I do love my short blacks, and slowly sipping them with my wonderful better half is one of the small things I look forward to every day. Is there anything coffee is not good for? The elixir of being Italian—it’s in our genes.

My small veggie garden – showing the tomatoes plants